Continuation of the book by Harun Yahya, The Secrets of the Hypocrites.

Their Characters and States of Mind

Their Natures are Prone to Strife

When they are told, â€œDo not cause corruption on the Earth,â€ they say, â€œWe are only putting things right.â€ No indeed! They are the corrupters, but they are not aware of it.

Al-Baqara: 11-12

Because of his fear of Allah, a believer knows that he will be held to account for all his thoughts and deeds when the day comes. He constantly turns to good deeds and will spend all his time thinking of good and moral behavior.

Hypocrites, on the other hand, harbor constant doubts about the reality of the Day of Judgment, and therefore, do not employ their minds for auspicious purposes. All their endeavors are malicious, since they constantly desire to cause corruption and vex believers.

When their strife-prone character emerges, they again seek to deny this and to deceive the messengers of Allah with lying words. But of course, they cannot succeed in thisâ€”because Allah has already told believers what they will say:

Among them are there some who say, â€œGive me permission to stay. Do not put temptation in my way.â€ Have they not fallen into that very temptation [fitnah]? . .

At-Tawba: 49

Hypocrites are completely predisposed to strife. They seek to spread dissension, either by covert and cunning means or else quite openly. The Arabic word fitnah means creating corruption and confusion in communities of believers. Hypocrites fully meet the meaning of the word, both internally and externally. Their souls are predisposed to dissension and discord rather than to harmony and beauty.

Examining the Qurâ€™an will show that hypocrites have spread strife throughout history. The Qurâ€™an reveals their characteristics with various examples. For instance, people prone to strife have actually never behaved any other way, and the methods they have employed have always been the same.

Another example of one whose character was predisposed to strife is Samaritan, leader of the hypocrites among the followers of the Prophet Musa (as). Seizing the opportunity presented by the Prophet Musaâ€™s (as) absence, Samaritan spread strife among the people and caused most of them to stray from the true path.

They Look for Power and Honor in Deniers

. . . [Do they] hope to find power and strength with them? Power and strength belong entirely to Allah.

An-Nisaâ€™: 139

Since hypocritesâ€™ value judgments are all perverted, their view of deniers is also completely misguided. They feel love for these people who do not believe in Allah, who do not live by religious moral values and who strive to ensure that others wonâ€™t either. That is because from deniers, they can gain certain advantages, and they thus regard deniersâ€™ criteria as important. Being praised by them and elevated according to their value judgments is a most important distinction for hypocrites. They cannot comprehend that power and honor belong solely to Allah. The fact that deniers outnumber the believers makes them think that deniers must be stronger and superior.

However, hypocrites are unaware of another factâ€”or rather, are unable to comprehend it: that Allah always protects and supports believers. Allah has always aided believers in their struggles against the deniers, and has always made them victorious. This is revealed in these terms in Surat an-Nisaâ€™:

. . . Allah will not give the disbelievers any way against the believers.

An-Nisaâ€™: 141

They Take Deniers As Their Friends

You see many of them taking those who disbelieve as their friends . . .

Al-Maâ€™ida: 80

Allah has forbidden believers to befriend deniers, for by not believing in Allah, by not turning to Him and by turning their backs on His verses, deniers prove that they do not have the sort of character that merits being befriended. They have entirely forgotten about the Hereafter. With a devilish effort, they seek to make other people love this world. Believersâ€”well aware of this aspect of theirsâ€”stay away from deniers and never accept them as friends or confidants.

Hypocrites, on the other hand, regard deniers as friends. They are inimical to those who believe in Allah, who spend their lives on earning His approval, and who are exceedingly pure and honest. One verse states: â€œ. . . those who take the disbelievers as protectors, rather than the believers . . .â€ (Surat an-Nisaâ€™: 139). The reason for this is that hypocrites and deniers have essentially the same characteristics. Either group can forget the Hereafter by denying Allah and seeking out others headed in that same direction. As we already stated, both groups are the party of satan and render service to him.

They are Untrustworthy

As can be seen from all the characteristics described so far, hypocrites cannot be trusted. They live among believers, but are hostile to them. In addition, they hide that hostility within themselvesâ€”and this enmity and false behavior they conceal within themselves are a clear indication of their cunning and disloyalty. They therefore exhibit not the slightest trace of trustworthiness and almost never keep a promise they make, unless itâ€™s to their benefit. It is revealed in one verse:

Those with whom you make a treaty and who then break it every time. They have no fear of Allah.

Al-Anfal: 56

As we have already stated, their eagerness to spread strife and corruption confirms their untrustworthiness. It is impossible for believers to feel confident that these individuals will keep their word in times of trouble or difficulty. For believers, on the contrary, the most important thing at such times is to protect Muslims against anyone who engages in such cunning activities. The Qurâ€™an tells believers of the true characters of hypocrites, whose untrustworthiness generally becomes even more difficult in times of trouble, and invites believers to be on their guard: